Tag: parenting

by Lynne Pearson When Leila was four years old she must have decided that one younger brother simply was not enough and so she confidently asked me to provide her with a set of twin siblings, a boy and a girl. I smiled at my young daughter in the knowledge that Nick and I were hoping to have a third child and said, “I’ll see what I can do.”. A few short weeks later I […]

by Colleen Berlingieri I was in a bookstore the other day when I saw the title of a book that almost made me snort latte out of my nose. It was called Get Out of My Life, but First Could You Drive Me and Cheryl To The Mall? by Dr. Anthony E. Wolf PhD. This title is a perfect description of my current reality with my son. Skills vs. Swagger Geordi has a developmental disability. He […]

By Mary Ellen Bogucki I believe friendship can be a difficult concept to maneuver for anyone, but in the special needs and Autism community there are times it may seem impossible. From the moment my daughter, Bree, was born, she had an instant friend in that of her sister, Kailey. Kailey was 2 ½ years older than Bree and was already a “little mother” in the body of a toddler. Kailey loved dolls, she loved […]

by Patty Shukla In my more than 20 years as a children’s educational music professional, I have found that one question gets asked over and over again. “Miss Patty, do autistic children love music as much as your other students do?” Yes. The fact is that nearly all children have an inherent love of learning about and making music. From singing to dancing to playing musical instruments, kids of every description and from every walk of […]

by Colleen Berlingieri I first met Rachael at a bowling alley. She is a support worker for people with disabilities and she was there with a client. At the time, I was looking for someone to work with my son and Rachael was highly recommended. Acquaintances told me that she was a safe driver, filled out paperwork on time and was very engaged with her clients. She sounded perfect, so I walked over to meet her. I waited […]

by LisaMarie Bernardo You might be wondering what exactly a life coach is and what they do and how they can help parents of children with disabilities. A life coach can help parents — especially parents who are raising children with disabilities — take care of themselves while taking care of their family. Parents are usually thinking and putting their child’s needs first, putting themselves and their needs last. By constantly putting their needs last, after a […]

By Mary Ellen Bogucki When I think of my daughter’s journey with Autism, I can think of many different analogies. One is the game of Jenga. There’s a tower missing a few blocks, but it’s still standing strong. Then in swoops a person who may remove a strategy, a modification or just strike a verbal blow that makes the tower sway and lose its footing. Oh…but it still balances without fully falling and I think […]

by Lynne Pearson Edward, our autistic son, used to go from 0 to 60 pretty much instantly when he became angry. He’d seem fine and then he’d suddenly blow. Big time. Tension and Frustration spilling out in crashing tidal waves no matter who we were with or where we were. It was nigh on impossible to talk him down once he’d blown up like this. The best tactic was to stay calm, move to a […]

By Ann Allen “Find a group of people who challenge and inspire you, spend a lot of time with them, and it will change your life.” ~Amy Poehler Ah, you made it through the holidays. Now what? Did you make a New Year’s resolution? Did it sound something like mine and contain words like healthy eating, exercise, less stress? I know. We try. We’re busy. Our people come first. I am not a personal trainer, motivational […]

by Tulika Prasad I’m not a supermom but I get that a lot. Having a child with Autism does not make me one. Please let me be weak and let me cry, let me make mistakes, let my guard down, and let me just be a mom, a wife ,a woman, not a “super-someone”. The day Vedant was diagnosed with Autism, life handed me a cape and said “now you fight and never stop doing so”. […]

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According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), 500,000 teens with autism will age into adulthood over the next decade and housing will become one of the greatest concerns for them, their parents and other caregivers. Right now, an estimated 80,000 adults with autism in the United States are on waiting lists for publicly-funded residential placements and services. The waiting periods can run up to 15 years and the number of those waiting […]